It’s all too easy to slide down that slippery slope of self-doubt. We can try to deny how we feel. After all, as someone has said, “feelings are not facts.” But our feelings can seem true, and stuffing them down doesn’t make them go away.

I am encouraged by the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthian Christians, and to us: “I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it” (1 Cor. 2:3-4 MSG).

Father, when we struggle with “not good enough” feelings, help us to remember that the cross turns our minus into a plus. We can’t . . . but You can. All You ask is that we trust in Your power to do what we can never do in our own strength. Thank You for how You use our feelings of inadequacy to draw us closer to You. And yes, Father, please help me practice what I preach! [Readers – I’ve spent more time trying to format this post than it took to write it, and still there are formatting problems I can’t fix.]

For more on this struggle that I find is so common among writers, especially among those who truly are gifted, I encourage you to read the chapter, “Crisis of Confidence,” from my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers. You’ll find it posted under Freebies on the Colorado and Philly website.

Updates – Colorado Christian Writers Conference

There’s still time to be among the first 75 to register and remember, the first 75 registrants will receive an additional free 15-minute appointment. But don’t delay. And keep in mind that the price increases March 16.

Teens Write – Each year about 25 teens attend the all-day Saturday Teens Write. Flyers are now available. Tim Shoemaker, one of the Teens Write instructors, is coming to Colorado early and is interested in doing school visits on Tuesday, May 13. In addition to his Strengthening Fiction Skills Workshops, Tim offers Character Building Talks that are perfect for assemblies. (Click here for flyer.)

Hero Stuff – In satisfying fiction, often ordinary kids end up making heroic choices. We all want to be heroes … and can be. I’ll use engaging object lessons to illustrate six starting points for being a hero in everyday life.

Smashed Tomatoes – In fiction, often life looks really dark to a character before light dawns. In life sometimes we feel like junk and see no hope. Take heart. Life has a way of making great things out of messed-up lives.

In response to assemblies a couple of weeks ago, Tim received nearly 60 letters from students. “I’m blown away by them,” he says. “And based on what they wrote, they were listening every bit as good as it appeared they were.) If you know of a school that might be interested, please email Tim at familydevotionsworkshop@gmail.com.

Need a professional photograph? If you’re like quite a few folks I know, you HATE having your picture taken and may be using one on your Web site or PR literature that is very old. Jodie Westfall, a professional photographer from Texas, would love to come to the conference and spend 15 minutes with YOU. After spending a few minutes getting to know you and what you need photos for, she will give you the photos she takes of you with no copyright notice needed for reproducing for only $50 and you can have access to them on Dropbox. (An hour long session is $167.) The price is a bargain especially since you will own the photos and will be able to use them without a copyright notice. You can find out more about Jodie at her website: www.jodiewestfallphotography.com.

In order to make this happen, Jodie needs to know there will be enough interest to justify the expense of her coming. So . . . if this is something you want to do, please email jwp@jodiewestfallphotography.comno later than April 14 so she can book her flight. Put “Photos at CCWC” in your subject line and she will send you a PayPal invoice. When you arrive at the conference and receive your appointment schedule, you can then choose the time that fits best for your photo shoot.

“All the self doubt, the enemy’s voice and sometimes the challenges in family life and in ministry made me wonder if what I had to say would make any difference anyway. But I kept going by the grace of God and can take no credit for the way He kept prodding, pushing, encouraging, and comforting when I so wanted to quit. And now, it’s almost done, after thirty long, painful and challenging years. . . . I’d appreciate your prayers as I watch and wait for what He would like to do next in my life.”

Updates – Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference

Continuing Sessions – This info is now posted on the conference website. There really is something for everyone.

News You Can Use

Building Your Platform – In a 10-part series, Cec Murphey who will keynote and teach a continuing session at the Philly conference, shares important information. Check out his Writer to Writer blog.

Free guides – Book Baby has some helpful free guides including Twitter for Authors in 10 Minutes a Day. Except for my Facebook messages that are automatically posted on Twitter, I don’t Tweet. Someone, however, hacked my account a couple of days ago and sent out 225 messages in less than an hour!